


bloom

by stilljunhui (acyria)



Category: TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hospital, Eventual Romance, Hanahaki Disease, Light Angst, M/M, Mentions of Blood, One-Sided Attraction, Pining, Sick Character, Slow Burn, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-11-26 11:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18180212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acyria/pseuds/stilljunhui
Summary: There were a lot of things Taehyun was worried about as a nursing intern, but falling in love had been the least of his concerns.(Hanahaki Disease!AU: Eventual Beomgyu x Taehyun, One-Sided Beomgyu x Yeonjun, Minor Yeonjun x Soobin)





	bloom

**Author's Note:**

> **Hanahaki Disease** is a fictional disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies. It can be cured through surgical removal, but when the infection is removed, the victim's romantic feelings for their love also disappear.
> 
> I really wanted to write something with Beomgyu and Taehyun,,, and for some reason this was the plot bunny that entered my head. I've never written anything with Hanahaki Disease before so I may alter some things here and there, but the basis of the disease is still the same. Additional disclaimer that I don't know how a lot of things work in the hospital, so if there are any inaccuracies there then I hope it's okay or feel free to correct me!!
> 
> That said, I also rarely write angst, but here we are.

After almost two months of internship, Kang Taehyun was pretty sure his body clock was severely messed up. Even more messed up than it had already been ever since he started college. Life as a nursing student was already filled with cups of coffee and sleepless nights, but he didn’t even so much as scratch the surface of what sleepless nights _really_ meant until he began interning. So far, his longest record had been 27 hours awake. 

 

The halls of Asan Medical Center were always bustling with activity. At some point, Taehyun realized that wasn’t exactly a good thing. Nurses fluttered here and there, checking up on patient after patient, while some doctors did the same. As an intern, and the youngest one at that, Taehyun had yet to handle harder jobs. He wanted to though, but his actions still fell under the orders of the head of the nursing staff, who couldn’t be bothered with the interns half the time.

 

_(The reason behind that 27 hour record wasn’t one he particularly wanted to repeat, so having nothing to do was sometimes better.)_

 

“The patient in Room 313 said her leg was hurting less today,” Taehyun reported to the chief nurse one afternoon, handing the patient’s clipboard over. Another mundane task, for another mundane day. “She has physical therapy scheduled for tomorrow.”

 

“Great,” the older woman said, barely sparing Taehyun a glance as she handed him another clipboard, which the brunette gladly took. “I’m putting you on permanent assignment for this one until further notice. Room 207 is a special case. That should give you more things to do.” 

 

She paused to finally look at the younger boy, “you’re Kang Taehyun, right? Top of the class? Youngest intern this year?”

 

Taehyun nodded.

 

“Good luck,” the chief nurse said with a brief nod of her own, before walking away.

 

The first thing Taehyun noticed when he began to read through the patient’s files was the bright, bold red lettering on top, stating that the patient had no formal diagnosis. Choi Beomgyu, 18 years old, was admitted to the hospital just earlier that morning. Surprisingly, that was the only information presented, other than a request that someone should keep the boy company at all times. That in particular made Taehyun frown a bit.

 

Was he just assigned to watch over the patient?

 

Regardless, it was still something that fell under his job description, so Taehyun had no choice but to head over to Room 207.

 

Truth be told, he didn’t really like hospitals, which sucked for a would-be-nurse. Something he always hated about the place wasn’t even the smell, but the way everything was just so _white_. It wasn’t even a bright white. It was a dull, lifeless kind of white, that made everything around it feel desaturated by comparison. Even if some nurses wore blue uniforms, or green emergency suits, it didn’t change that the majority of the hospital was still white. 

 

So when he entered Room 207, Taehyun was expecting the same dull white to hit him. He wasn’t expecting the potted plants that filled the room with various splashes of colour. Red roses, yellow tulips, and even pink carnations lined the edges of the room. Right in the center, resting on the bed, must have been Choi Beomgyu. A light haired, fair skinned boy, who was currently smiling brightly at Taehyun.

 

“Are you the nurse in charge of taking care of me?” 

 

Unsure how else to respond, Taehyun merely nodded, still taking in the decor of the room with wide eyes. He didn’t even know they were allowed to have live plants inside the hospital, even more so inside a patient’s room. Upon closer inspection, he was also beginning to wonder what seemed to be the problem with the patient. If he had no formal diagnosis, he shouldn’t even be in the hospital, right?

 

“I’m Beomgyu,” the boy spoke again. “What’s your name?”

 

“Taehyun,” the intern answered briefly. 

 

He watched at Beomgyu tilted his head towards the right, then towards the left, as if examining him before the older boy pouted.

 

“You look way too young to be a nurse.”

 

“I’m an intern,” Taehyun explained, still finding the current situation weird. While he knew better than to judge via outward appearances, it was the first time he’s ever even seen a patient look happy to be in the hospital, especially since the other boy looked fine as well. There was no mistaking the radiant glow that Beomgyu seemed to have around him as he began to talk once more, unbothered by the short answers.

 

Choi Beomgyu spoke about the flowers in the room ( _“You’re probably curious, right?”_ ) and how he liked having them around to add colour to the place. He described each flower and how much water it needed per day, along with how it had to be taken out for sunlight, too. It took the med student a while to process that doing so was part of his job. Taehyun tried his best to school his features; he was a nursing student, not a _florist._

 

Yet, as Beomgyu smiled as he went on to say he was expecting more flowers to arrive soon, the younger boy couldn’t help but feel his annoyance wash away. 

 

_(He reminded himself that the boy was still in the hospital for some reason. The flowers must have helped Beomgyu one way or another.)_

 

By the end of his shift, at exactly 7PM, Taehyun excused himself from the room. He was met with a cheerful wave goodbye that made him consider his plan of switching jobs with another intern. Beomgyu was a talkative person, that much was sure, while Taehyun still felt awkward about the whole situation. Maybe the patient would work better with an intern who talked more, too. But the patient _was_ assigned to him, specifically. 

 

The next day, Taehyun ended up returning to the room anyway, bright and early in the morning.

 

“Good morning,” he greeted politely as he brought in food. “Doctor Kim also prescribed you some medicine today.”

 

“Medicine, huh?” Beomgyu asked softly, uncharacteristically quiet for a few seconds. “Do you know what kind?”

 

Taehyun took a quick look at the clipboard and tried to decipher the doctor’s scrawl.

 

When he did, he couldn’t help but frown.

 

“They’re basic painkillers,” he announced. “Do you need something else? I could try asking—“

 

“No, that’s fine,” Beomgyu interrupted swiftly, a bright smile back on his face. He watched with curious eyes as Taehyun prepared the tray, setting up some fruits to go along with the cereal and milk, as he talked about what food he liked eating best. All the while, the younger boy listened and took note. Maybe he could bring some for lunch, if the hospital canteen offered it. That would make him a nice nurse, right?

 

Taehyun glanced around at the flowers in the room, “do I bring them out for sunlight now?”

 

“In a bit,” the other boy said. “I want company while I eat breakfast.”

 

That was how Kang Taehyun found himself in a new routine that circled around the patient in Room 207. It was easy enough; arrive with breakfast, stay and talk for a bit, go out to tend to the plants. In the afternoon, Beomgyu had said Taehyun should probably help out elsewhere, since he usually took a nap. The intern would bring in lunch and then leave, dropping by only when called for (a rare occurrence), until he’s scheduled to return with dinner. His shifts still end at 7PM. 

 

It was his 6th day on duty when Taehyun finally decided to ask the golden question.

 

He figured he was probably allowed to do so by now. Beomgyu had called them friends—on the 4th day and at the very least, Taehyun agreed—when the older boy had asked his own questions; like whether Taehyun actually liked his course ( _“Yes.”_ ), if he was dating anybody ( _“No, I have no time for that.”_ ) and what his favourite flower was ( _“I don’t think I have one.”_ ) All his answers amused the other boy, who would giggle softly each time. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” 

 

“Finally,” Beomgyu said teasingly. He smiled and nodded at the boy standing beside his bed, “anything.”

 

“I don’t mean to sound rude,” Taehyun began to say, which made him feel like he was definitely going to sound rude, but he continued anyway. “I have your patient report and all, but ever since day one, it doesn’t say why you’re in the hospital. It’s still not updated.”

 

“And you want to know why I’m here?”

 

“Well,” the younger boy fidgeted. “Sort of, yeah. I’m here to learn, after all, it would help to get all the details.”

 

At that, Beomgyu was silent for a few seconds before he smiled, bright and beautiful.

 

_(Taehyun froze momentarily. Beautiful?)_

 

“I’m dying, Taehyun,” the boy said softly. “Not even painkillers and medicine can help me.”

 

For the first time in along time, Taehyun regretted asking a question. When he was younger, he was always praised by the adults around him for how much of a curious boy he was, always eager to learn. He asked about everything and anything; eyes widening with delight at each answer he got, at something he could add to his inventory of knowledge. This time, his eyes widened in shock. 

 

He wanted to ask more. What does Beomgyu mean? What kind of disease is it that it’s not even listed down? He can’t even know what he was helping with, but at some point, Taehyun figured the doctors knew. It was just kept quiet. Was it rare? New? Something, anything, the brunette just wanted to find out. He wanted to become a nurse for the sole purpose of helping other people. Right there, at that very moment, he just wanted to help.

 

“Why?” 

 

“Have you heard of the Hanahaki Disease?”

 

_Oh._

 

On his second week of internship, Taehyun went 27 hours without sleeping, for the first time in his life. There was no way he could forget the events that went down that day. It started like any other day, up until the emergency alarms rang, and a patient was brought in. The chief nurse had taken one look at him before telling him to help out with the situation. It was tense as the patient was rushed to an emergency operating room immediately.

 

He could still remember how everything looked like. It was hard to forget the image of blood and flowers mixed together. The flowers had been white, which made the blood against it an even more vibrant red, as the patient just kept vomiting them out. The man, only aged 25, kept crying the entire time, too. Something about how he just wanted everything to end already. For the entire night, Taehyun remained in the operating room.

 

He watched the way the flowers were removed from the man’s lungs.

 

Everything was extracted, down to the smallest petal.

 

“We get these special cases, sometimes,” the surgeon who was in charge explained by the end of the procedure. Taehyun had asked, of course, after he helped usher the patient into another room to recover. What happened didn’t seem like it was in his medicine books. “It’s known in the community as the Hanahaki Disease. Rare, very rare, and always potentially fatal. That man’s lucky he was even brought in here. He’s been refusing surgery for a while now.”

 

Unfortunately, that was all Taehyun got from the doctor, but a quick search gave him more answers. Although the internet deemed the disease to be nothing more but a myth, something used in fictional stories, Taehyun knew better. He had seen it first hand. That also meant that while he knew Beomgyu _was_ dying, he also knew that there was a cure for it. All the other boy had to do was get the flowers out of his system. 

 

Surely he knew that, right?

 

“Why not just get surg—“

 

“I think love is a beautiful thing,” Beomgyu interrupted, still smiling; for once, Taehyun could finally see the sadness in the corner of his eyes as he spoke, along with a hint of determination. Stubbornness, more like it, as he spoke with as much conviction he can muster. “Even if it hurts, I’m happy to be in love. I’d rather not forget what made me feel this way.”

 

_(So he’d rather die? Taehyun didn’t understand. Then again, he’s never been in love.)_

 

Since then, a lot more things became obvious. 

 

During the afternoons where Beomgyu was supposedly napping, the nursing intern got called in more frequently, usually just to stay in the room. Staying in the room longer meant seeing Beomgyu more often, too. That meant Taehyun experienced, for once, the way Beomgyu’s eyes would be shut tight as the other boy coughed, and coughed, and coughed, before finally a yellow petal escaped his mouth. 

 

The first time it happened, Beomgyu had smiled sheepishly and said, “it’s like magic, huh?”

 

In the end, he never really napped.

 

“They told me not to tell you,” the boy eventually confessed one day, face twisted in confusion. “I was wondering, why not? You’re my nurse, now my friend, what’s the worse that could happen?”

 

“Maybe they were worried I would think you’re crazy,” Taehyun piped up. Admittedly, ever since the first day, it wasn’t hard to get closer to the other boy. It helped that they were close in age—just a year apart—and that Beomgyu managed to make everything flow naturally, despite their circumstances. In the end, he didn’t even mind playing florist to the boy’s potted plants, which felt slightly masochistic to have around the room. 

 

Beomgyu laughed, “good thing you knew all about it already, huh? That might be why you were placed here to begin with.”

 

Actually, now that Taehyun thought about it, the chief nurse did acknowledge him. She definitely knew what she was doing, after all. 

 

On that same day, in the middle of Beomgyu’s second week in the hospital, he had his first visitor. Apart from his family, nobody else really dropped by. His parents always tried to talk him into just having surgery, the boy told his nurse once, but there was little they could do. He made his mind up long ago. Again, Taehyun wish he understood. Who did Beomgyu love so much that he wasn’t willing to just let go and forget? 

 

He got his answer when Choi Yeonjun entered the room.

 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t visit earlier,” the red haired boy said in a rush the moment he burst through the doors. He was holding a bouquet of poppies in one hand, which he gingerly placed next to the boy on the bed, as if careful to make the wrong move. “I only found out recently through Soobin. Why didn’t you text me or something, Gyu? You know I would have visited you every day if—”

 

“I know,” Beomgyu interrupted with a chuckle. “I also knew you don’t have much time for that. Thanks for the flowers. Poppies have always been my favourite.”

 

“I know,” Yeonjun replied with a smile of his own, before it quickly transformed into a frown. “I talked to your doctor. She said she’s not sure what’s wrong?”

 

“Yup,” the brunette said, catching Taehyun’s eye as he spoke, since the nurse was just standing by the door. The latter wanted to scoff, but rightfully didn’t react to anything. The whole time Yeonjun had been in the room, the boy didn’t even spare the nursing intern another glance, all his focus solely on the sick boy. One would think it was Yeonjun who was in love with Beomgyu, not the other way around, but that wasn’t the case.

 

After staying for an hour, Yeonjun eventually had to leave. He apologized profusely and promised to return, soon.

 

Once the boy left the room, Beomgyu had a coughing fit.

 

This time, an entire yellow tulip came out of his mouth. He looked like he had a much harder time getting it out, too. 

 

“You wouldn’t _believe_ how hard it was trying to keep _that_ in,” Beomgyu groaned out to Taehyun, who was by his side immediately, rubbing circles on the other’s back. He had a weak smile on his face, “I’m glad he didn’t try to hug me goodbye or anything. I don’t think I would have been able to keep it in, but I figured I could always pretend I ate one of the flowers on display.”

 

“So, that’s why you keep the flowers around, huh?” Taehyun asked, keeping his tone light. 

 

Truth be told, he was confused why Beomgyu was in the situation he was in. He could see it, clear as day, that Yeonjun definitely cared for the other boy. It was hard not to, honestly. Taehyun has never met anybody with such a bright personality as the older boy, who managed to smile and laugh at everything, despite the pain in his lungs and heart. It was admirable, for sure. 

 

_(Who wouldn’t fall in love with him?)_

 

Beomgyu grinned, “you got me. His favourite flower is the yellow tulip. I figured it’ll be weird having just that, so I decided to have more around. Sorry for the extra hassle, Taehyun.”

 

Throwing caution to the wind, the younger boy spoke again, “and you’re sure he doesn’t love you back? I mean, he knows your favourite flower and all.”

 

“He has a boyfriend,” Beomgyu answered, rolling his eyes playfully at Taehyun’s blunt question.At least he didn’t look offended. In fact, he looked almost a little happy, maybe wistful, as he spoke some more. “That he’s very, very, _very_ in love with. Also, Soobin’s the one who told him, I’m sure, since he’s the one who owns a flower shop. Soobin would be said boyfriend, by the way. His name’s on the card that came with the bouquet.” 

 

“Why didn’t Soobin visit?”

 

“He sends his regards,” the older boy said, smiling a little. “They’re cute together, you should see them.”

 

By his 18th day taking care of Beomgyu, Taehyun was already beginning to spend more and more time in Room 207. Now that all the secrets were out in the open, he was able to provide better care and company towards the sick boy. He was always ready with a bucket just in case Beomgyu felt even the slightest disturbance in his throat. He already knew which food from the canteen the other boy liked and disliked. More things were added to his routine.

 

He got so used to the fact that Beomgyu was around, he almost forgot why the boy was in the hospital to begin with.

 

“No way, you haven’t seen Inception?” Taehyun asked incredulously, sitting by the edge of the bed. 

 

“I didn’t have the time to watch it when it came out,” the older boy replied guiltily. “I never got around to downloading it, either.”

 

The intern shook his head in disbelief, “we’re _definitely_ watching that one of these days.”

 

“Really?” Beomgyu asked in delight. “Better make it quick then, while I’m still around.”

 

Sometimes, it was the way he talked so lightly of his death that made Taehyun forget how grave of a situation things were. The reminder always felt like a slap to the face, if the younger boy had to be honest. One moment Beomgyu would be laughing and talking about whatever topic under the sun and the next moment, he would casually drop a line that spoke of how short his life was going to be, as if he welcomed death with opens arms.

 

Each and every time, it only left Taehyun with a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

“Aren’t there other ways to cure Hanahaki?” He brought up with the older boy once, after spending the previous night pouring over Internet articles. There had to be something that could be done, right? Even if there wasn’t yet, Taehyun wasn’t going to sit around and watch someone—his _friend_ —die. There was just no way. “Something that doesn’t require you forgetting all about Yeonjun and being in love?”

 

“Well, I could choose to fall in love with someone else,” Beomgyu suggested with a shrug, his fingers playing with the edge of the hospital blanket that rested on his chest. “But that’s a long shot. Who am I supposed to fall in love with? Love is such a tedious process, Taehyun. I don’t have the time for that either, since I’m stuck here.”

 

“This is so complicated,” Taehyun agreed with a sigh. 

 

“I wonder how many hearts you’ve broken though,” the older boy suddenly said, grinning cheekily. “With such a handsome face like yours.”

 

“None that I know of,” the brunette replied with a straight face, but he felt his cheeks grow warmer despite himself.

 

Beomgyu hummed, “maybe I could fall in love with you instead.”

 

_(Maybe.)_

 

The second time and third time, Choi Yeonjun visited with Soobin. The discomfort was a lot more apparent in the brunette’s features, even if he still kept a positive appearance. He still laughed and talked the same way, but would pause to drink water far too often, and clear his throat whenever Yeonjun was even just one step closer. Beomgyu would also pointedly look away from Taehyun’s judging gaze, as the nurse was tempted a few times to cut visiting hours short.

 

“I really hope you get well soon,” Yeonjun always said before he left the room. 

 

“Yeah,” Beomgyu would reply. “Me, too.”

 

Once the redhead left, Taehyun would be by the bed in a flash, already ready to help the other boy through another attack. 

 

One day—he stopped keeping count at some point—Taehyun couldn’t contain himself anymore.

 

The entire afternoon was spent trying to keep Beomgyu from vomiting out what he ate for breakfast and lunch, in the midst of the tulip petals that escaped his mouth, courtesy of yet another visit from Yeonjun. The boy was also gradually eating and drinking less, since the action caused discomfort in his throat, which was slowly filling with flowers. More than once, he even had to double his dosage of painkillers. 

 

“I really don’t think he should visit again,” the intern said without thinking twice. “All he does is cause you more pain.”

 

“But I _like_ seeing him,” Beomgyu whined, sounding like a child, to the best of his ability. He was still wheezing out leftover petals in his system. 

 

“It’s making things worse—“

 

“I’m already _dying_ ,” the older boy cut off. For the first time since he got to the hospital, Beomgyu looked like he was on the verge of tears, blinking them back furiously. He didn’t have the same glow that surrounded him when he was initially admitted, almost as if it was his body’s own way of showing how bad things really were, even if he didn’t admit it. “What’s the worse that could happen?”

 

There were a lot of things Taehyun wanted to say at that moment. Everything ranging from how Beomgyu could always choose _not_ to die to how Beomgyu ultimately deserved better than the fate he seemed to accept for himself. Taehyun wanted to tell Beomgyu how much his life was worth more than a boy who didn’t love him back. He wanted to say that there could always be someone else who could love him. 

 

He wanted to say Beomgyu could try giving his heart another chance at love, at life.

 

Instead, the younger boy found himself beside the other’s bed, arms wrapped around the older boy as Beomgyu began to cry. The tears soaked his nursing uniform, but Taehyun could care less. All he focused on was the small frame in between his arms, shaking from how hard he cried, and the way yellow petals fell from his mouth with each hiccup. Something in Taehyun’s own chest ached to see him that way.

 

In the end, the decision was made by the doctor in charge to restrict visitors. 

 

“He’s getting worse,” she told Taehyun that same night when the brunette was on his way out of the hospital. “I don’t think he has much time left.”

 

“It’s only been three weeks,” Taehyun noted.

 

Doctor Kim sighed, “he’s lucky to even have reached this long, honestly.”

 

“Is there anything that can slow it down?” The brunette pressed. “Anything that could help even a little?”

 

“Well,” she paused to think. “Beomgyu’s a positive boy. I’m sure that’s what’s kept him going this long to begin with. As long as he keeps finding reason to be happy, it should affect him a little less. But I’m afraid it won’t stop the flowers from growing. Recent scans show it’s almost at 60% blockage now.”

 

On his 24th day—unknowingly, Taehyun began to count again—taking care of Beomgyu, he decided to stay overtime. It was a Saturday night and he had no plans the next day, so he decided to get _something_ done. He brought his laptop to the hospital and announced that they were going to watch Inception. The older boy clapped his hands in delight, immediately making space for Taehyun to lie next to him on the bed. 

 

“Why is his wife crazy?” Beomgyu whispered a few minutes into the movie.

 

“Just watch.”

 

“That was a dream?”

 

“Yeah, it was.”

 

“How did they do that?”

 

“Please just watch.”

 

Halfway through the movie, Beomgyu sat up and started coughing up petals again.

 

For some reason, instead of rushing to get a bucket like he should have, Taehyun just stayed by his side. The younger boy was rubbing the inside of Beomgyu’s wrist with his thumb, watching the yellow petals drift from the boy’s mouth. They should be fine as long as there wasn’t any blood. The fact that it was just petals and not a whole flower seemed like a good sign, too. He kept his ministrations going until Beomgyu rested back down.

 

“Thank you,” he whispered quietly to Taehyun, who nodded and turned back to the movie without another word.

 

It wasn’t until they neared the end of the movie, where a loud gunshot was suddenly fired, that Taehyun felt the other squeeze his hand. He looked down between them to find that Beomgyu was holding his hand tightly as the climax of the movie progressed. The older boy’s eyes were shining in anticipation as he watched, partially leaning onto Taehyun’s shoulder as he did so, still squeezing the younger boy’s hand now and then. 

 

“This is so intense,” Beomgyu whispered.

 

“It helps to pay attention,” the younger boy said teasingly, his own head gravitating towards the other’s. Just a little more and Taehyun would have been leaning his head on Beomgyu’s, but he resisted the urge, despite how little space there was left between them. He did think about it, though. On more than one occasion. He thought about it the same way he thought about whether he should let go of Beomgyu’s hand or not.

 

In the end, he didn’t let go.

 

But he did lean his head on the older boy’s, just as the movie was coming to an end.

 

“I’m so happy to see him land safely,” was the only thing Beomgyu said.

 

Taehyun grinned knowingly, “yup.”

 

After a few minutes, Beomgyu promptly let go of the other’s hand and sat up, close to pushing the nursing intern off the bed.

 

“ _What kind of ending was that?!_ ” He exclaimed, his mouth wide open in disbelief. “Why didn’t the totem stop? What do you _mean_ he’s still dreaming? He went through all that for _nothing?_ ”

 

“Hey, it’s not sure if he’s still dreaming or not,” Taehyun replied happily, glad he got the reaction he expected. That was his favourite part of making his friends watch Inception; the intrigue they would have throughout the whole movie, only to end up utterly confused by the end. “On that note, how sure are you that they even went through all that at all? What if _that’s_ a dream as well?”

 

Beomgyu opened his mouth to answer, only to close it soon after.

 

After a pause, he asked, “can we watch again?”

 

_(It was silly, but Taehyun felt his heart skip a beat.)_

 

Right before the movie ended the second time around, Beomgyu was fast asleep. He still had his head on Taehyun’s shoulder and their hands were once again clasped—although how it reached that point again was unknown. The nursing intern was close to falling asleep as well, but he remembered he did tell his parents he would be home. Plus, since Sundays were his only days off, he had plans to meet up with his best friend. All his duty worked had given him close to no social life apart from the sick boy he had to tend.

 

Something about Beomgyu when he was asleep made it seem like there was nothing wrong with him. Right then and there, with his eyes closed and his chest rising up and down slowly in tune with his breathing, Taehyun would have thought he was just another tired boy. There was almost no signs of the yellow tulips growing inside his body, slowly seeping his life away. There was no indication that such a soft, beautiful looking boy did not receive the love he wanted.

 

It didn’t make sense.

 

The next day, Taehyun met up with his best friend at the local skating park.

 

“How’s the medicine route treating ya?” Huening Kai asked teasingly as they sat on the bench, absentmindedly feeding the birds that flew by them. 

 

“Alright,” the nursing student replied with a shrug. “I’ve been on duty these past few weeks.”

 

“And?”

 

“It’s alright.”

 

“ _And?_ ”

 

“What do you mean by that?”

 

Kai scoffed, throwing one pigeon a particularly larger piece of bread, “don’t you think I know you by now? There’s something you’re not telling me, otherwise you would have told me about what happened yourself. Hospital duty sounds like tough work. You would have complained about something by now, but you haven’t. So spill, Kang Taehyun. I’m all ears.”

 

Apparently, that was all he needed to say before Taehyun began to tell him all about what’s been happening. 

 

There were a few things he couldn’t bring up—Beomgyu’s name and everything about the Hanahaki Disease, mainly—but he still made things fairly detailed. He spoke of the new patient that he was on duty for, the fair skinned and light haired boy, who smiled every day despite his critical state. He told Kai all about how the other boy kept flowers in the room, ate fishcake almost every day for lunch, and insisted to wear the pink coloured hospital gown, specifically.

 

“It’s unfair,” Taehyun said quietly once he finished. “I don’t think he deserves to die.”

 

“There’s no treatment?” Kai asked once the other boy finished speaking, only to be met with a negative answer. He was quiet for a few more seconds, eyes warily glancing at his friend and back again, before he continued. “Taehyun, I know you’ll make a great nurse and all, but dude—don’t you think you’re getting just a little bit attached to this patient?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“Remember when you had that huge crush on an upperclassman back in 5th grade?” Kai asked with a teasing grin, before his grin faltered into an uneasy stare when Taehyun didn’t smile back, but there was no stopping his point now. “I’ve known you my whole life. You get into this sort of act when you’re in love, all observant and caring.”

 

Taehyun frowned, “it’s my job to take care of him, of course I’ll take note.”

 

“Yeah, but,” his best friend began to say, pausing to think. “I’ve heard you talk about other patients before. It’s never been to _this_ extent.”

 

“It’s only because I’ve been assigned to this one permanently,” the brunette said, waving it off with that last statement, which Kai eventually caught on to as the topic was dropped. At least, the topic was dropped between the two of them as they spent the rest of the afternoon together, but it remained in Taehyun’s head. He hated it when Kai was right about things, since most of the time, he didn’t _want_ Kai to be right about things.

 

Most importantly, he didn’t want Kai to be right about his feelings for Beomgyu.

 

Feelings that shouldn’t exist in the first place.

 

The realization hit him right before he went to bed, his mind still reeling from the past events. He remembered the way his best friend’s words struck him, as if opening up a part of his mind he desperately wanted to keep closed. Memories of the past weeks with Beomgyu filtered into his head; from their first meeting, to the one time Beomgyu laughed so hard he nearly fell off the bed, to the most recent night they shared watching Inception.

 

_(Their bodies close enough to share warmth. Their hands folded together.)_

 

All of a sudden, something in Taehyun’s chest ached.

 

“I do love him,” he whispered to himself.

 

Based on what he’s read, the Hanahaki Disease affects only a small portion of people in the world. There’s a reason why it’s being kept a myth in some countries, while extensively researched in others. One thing that was noted was the possibility of the disease affecting people in an almost domino-like effect. If someone were to fall in love with another who already had the disease, but didn’t love them back, there were higher chances that person would end up infected as well.

 

It was yet to be proven, but as Taehyun stared at the red poppy petal that fell from his mouth, he was beginning to think science had a valid point.

 

There were a lot of things Taehyun was worried about as a nursing intern, but falling in love had been the least of his concerns. In the days that followed, his routine shifted. While it still mainly revolved around Room 207 and Choi Beomgyu, he made it a point to stay far away from the room, only dropping by during meal times and to give medication. His excuse, which he was sure Beomgyu didn’t fully believe, was how he was being made to observe other areas of the hospital. 

 

Whenever the indicator that Room 207 was calling for a nurse lit up, Taehyun would pretend he didn’t see it. However, he couldn’t pretend not to see the way Beomgyu went from excited tosee him enter the room, to confused whenever he left in a hurry. He also couldn’t pretend not to know that Beomgyu must have had a million and one things he wanted to talk about—he always did—and now that Taehyun no longer stayed in the room, that meant he had no company. With no visitors allowed either, he was mostly left alone.

 

Admittedly, that was probably Taehyun’s most selfish move yet.

 

Four days after he realized he was in love with Beomgyu, who clearly didn’t love him back if the poppy petals he still coughed up were any indication, he was called in by the chief nurse.

 

She gave him a knowing look, before asking, “didn’t I assign you to that Choi kid?”

 

“Yes, ma’am,” he responded promptly, trying to recall the last few things he added to his data sheet. “The patient was last administered a new dextrose bottle this morning, and—“

 

“But it wasn’t _you_ who did that,” The older woman said pointedly. “I would know because I came from his room just now. He’s been asking where you’ve been. I told him you were right out here.”

 

The intern gulped. Guess there was no running away forever. 

 

When Taehyun entered Room 207 later that day, the other boy was asleep, which made him feel even worse. Beomgyu’s been growing paler each week, with his energy constantly depleting due to how often he’s been throwing up. Not just that, but the amount of painkillers in his system was enough to knock him out as well. Even if the younger boy hasn’t been dropping by as often, he still took note of his vital signs, usually checked by another nurse. 

 

Even with sunlight streaming through the window, Taehyun felt like the room would have been a lot brighter if Beomgyu were awake.

 

After being in the other’s presence for just a few minutes, Taehyun soon felt a sharp pain in his lungs as he breathed in, only to end up coughing loudly before he could help himself. He turned away from the bed as he felt a shock run through his entire body, before it felt like his throat was closing in on itself. He’s only experienced it a few times before, but each time had been terrible.

 

Each time, he would think to himself, this was what Beomgyu experienced.

 

He coughed once, twice, before the poppy petal was dislodged from his throat. It fell on the floor where Taehyun quickly scooped it up.

 

“Taehyun?”

 

Not as quickly as he would have liked.

 

The younger boy turned around, almost afraid to face Beomgyu, but he knew he had to eventually. Taehyun watched the way realization dawned on the brunette’s face; the way Beomgyu’s eyes shakily darted from the petal clutched in the other’s hand, then at Taehyun’s mouth, slowly piecing the two together and coming up with the only explanation that was possible. He saw the way Beomgyu shut his eyes tightly and began to shake his head.

 

“No, no, no, this wasn’t what I wanted,” the older boy said in between gasps, yellow petals fluttering down from his mouth with each word. “Not me, not _you_ , why—“

 

“Hey,” Taehyun reached forward, instinctively rubbing circles on the other’s back. “Stop, it’s not your fault.” 

 

Beomgyu pushed his arm away, “ _don’t_. It’s worse when you touch me, right? I would know.”

 

Unable to answer, Taehyun merely let his arm drop to his side. He watched as tears began to form in the other’s eyes, helpless since he could no longer wrap his arms around the other boy and help him through it. He would have risked it—cough up poppy flowers everywhere—but Beomgyu had already pushed him away once. That action alone made the pain in his chest worsen. He didn’t need a repeat of that.

 

The older boy looked up at him, “why me? I’m dying, Taehyun. Why?”

 

_(What would happen, if the person one loved died? Taehyun wondered briefly to himself. Would the flowers stop growing? Or would they grow forever, unable to stop, since there was no longer someone who would love them back? Was he going to live long enough to find out? Would he be able to take the death of the person he loved? He figured even without the disease, the pain that would fill him would be too much to handle.)_

 

“The world would be a much sadder place without you,” Taehyun said instead. He knew what he wanted to answer; he wanted to tell Beomgyu it was the way he laughed, the way he smiled, the way life seemed so much more colourful with him around. He wanted to say the older boy was cute, and adorable, and kind, and _beautiful_. Just so beautiful, inside and out, that he could beat even the flowers around them. 

 

“You don’t even have to love me back,” he ended, smiling softly. “Just don’t die.”

 

The next day, Taehyun was informed by the chief nurse that he was relieved of his duty. 

 

She said the patient insisted.

 

Somewhere along the way, things started to make sense. He considered getting surgery while it was still early, erase all memories of Choi Beomgyu, but that meant forgetting even the feeling of being in love. Love didn’t come to him like it did in romance movies, sparkles and rainbows everywhere. It wasn’t the nicest feeling in the world, but he didn’t regret what he felt. He was hopeful, though, that one day he could forget Beomgyu. 

 

Maybe, if he didn’t die first.

 

Two more weeks of internship later, Kang Taehyun had completed his required hours. He was eventually reassigned to a different floor and a different patient—a young girl who was dealing with measles. He no longer visited the second floor, so it made sense that he didn’t notice when Room 207 was cleared of the flowers and labeled empty, not until his last day in the hospital. He could still feel the flowers filling his lungs, so in the end, he concluded that flowers probably did stay even with the person’s death.

 

He was in the middle of filling up internship papers, when he felt a tap on his back.

 

Doctor Kim stood behind him with a smile on her face, “someone wants to see you.”

 

From behind the woman, a head of honey coloured hair appeared. 

 

“Hi,” Beomgyu said, uncharacteristically shy. “I’m back, but not as a patient, thankfully.”

 

“How?” was all Taehyun could bring himself to say. He resisted the urge to hug the other boy, who looked a lot like he did when they first met, eyes shining brightly as if he held some sort of secret. His chest still ached, almost as if he could feel the flowers that threatened to bloom at the mere sight of Beomgyu, which made sense but at the same time didn’t. He didn’t want to jump to conclusions just yet, he figured. 

 

“I fell out of love,” he said simply. “At least, romantically. Yeonjun’s an idiot and still my best friend, but I don’t see him that way anymore.”

 

The younger boy blinked, “and?”

 

For once, Beomgyu blushed, pointedly glancing away. 

 

“I don’t think it’ll be hard to fall in love with you,” he said with a shrug. “I already know I like you. Even if you still won’t explain the ending of Inception to me.”

 

“And?”

 

“And I’m hoping,” the older boy continued, looking Taehyun straight in the eye this time. “I’m hoping you give me a chance to do so. Just don’t die.”

 

All things considered, most of the time, dating went the other way around. The person in love would be the one asking for a chance and not vice versa, but who was Taehyun to complain? Even if each step closer to Beomgyu felt like fire in his chest, and hugging the older boy meant that an entire poppy flower would soon have to be dislodged from his throat, it felt worth it. One day, he hoped, the flowers would eventually disappear. For now, he was content with hearing Beomgyu’s laugh again.

 

_(The white walls of Asan Medical Center were beginning to look much brighter.)_

**Author's Note:**

> I read somewhere that Taehyun's favourite movie is Inception and I literally yelled because it's my all time fave, so that little scene was definitely self-indulgent. Also, I wrote this in around two nights and did NOT expect it to be this long. I'm 100% sure there are mistakes that I'm too blind to notice at the moment.
> 
> If you like my work and would like to support me, please consider buying me coffee! https://ko-fi.com/stilljunhui


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